Party Phone Number

Party Email Address

Donate Button

Front Page Slider Quote

"I want to make this province a better place to live with a brighter future."

Front Page Quote Sig

Barry Petten wishes Minister Andrew Parsons would fight as hard to get jobs brought into the province as he’s fighting to get

Friday, February 8, 2019

St. John’s, NL (February 8. 2019) – Barry Petten, Transportation Critic for the Official Opposition, said while he supports MHAs fighting for their districts, he wishes the local MHA (Minister Andrew Parsons) would fight as hard to get jobs brought into the province as he’s fighting to get St. John’s jobs transferred to his district. He also wishes the Ball Liberals fought harder against the Marine Atlantic freight rate hikes that Petten warned about in December.

When asked by CBC what he thinks about St. John’s Marine Atlantic staff being on edge about possibly having to relocate to Port aux Basques, Parsons was quoted as saying: “I would say, too bad. No doubt that they don't want to go. But, frankly, I don't care. I do not care.

Petten said, “Instead of spending his time fighting to shuffle federal jobs across the deck of the province, Minister Parsons and his colleagues should be fighting to bring more federal jobs from outside the province to Newfoundland and Labrador and to keep freight rates low.”

“After the Ball Liberals raised taxes that drove up the prices of food and other goods that people buy in stores, now the Trudeau Liberals are raising the ferry costs to shippers, who are going to pass those costs on to consumers as well. Under the tax policies of those two Liberal governments, it’s getting more and more expensive to live in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Petten said, “It’s too bad the provincial Liberals can’t find it within themselves to fight against the Marine Atlantic rate hikes that are making it so expensive to live here. Lower costs would stimulate economic activity in rural communities like Port aux Basques that badly need it. With lower ferry rates, towns like those in his district could be generating more jobs.”

“If Marine Atlantic rates weren’t so high, rural regions like Port aux Basques would be thriving instead of struggling under the Liberals. If the provincial Liberals weren’t so worried about offending their federal Liberal cousins who’ve been shortchanging this province, would rates be rising?”